Auburn Tigers Freshman Kicker: ‘I Almost Had Tears of Joy’

Auburn’s true freshman kicker Towns McGough is playing much earlier than anticipated, and he is taking advantage of the opportunity.

Auburn Tigers kicker freshman kicker Towns McGough had a busy night in Auburn's 73-3 victory over Alabama A&M. / Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Auburn Tigers got the 2024 campaign off to as good a start as they could have hoped for, beating the Alabama A&M Bulldogs 73-3 inside Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Auburn had to pivot at kicker after Alex McPherson missed spring practice due to an injury and has been dealing with an illness all summer, but Towns McGough assured Tiger fans that there is no need to worry about that spot.

McGough, a freshman from Auburn, has been called upon much earlier in his college career than anticipated. McGough, however, showed that he is up for the task against Alabama A&M.

McGough hit a 32-yard field goal, went an astounding 10-for-10 on PAT attempts and put most kickoffs through the endzone for touchbacks.

McGough explained how much it means to him to have the opportunity to play in the stadium he grew up going to games in.

“To start, Coach (Tanner) Burns and Coach (Hugh) Freeze, for trusting me with this role for this week,” McGough said. “Wishing Alex (McPherson) the best for when he returns. He’s a great guy to learn from on-and-off the field. This week has been neat for me and a cool experience. Coming in this year, knowing I would redshirt, and then things changed all of a sudden. It hit me yesterday in the hotel that I would be playing in front of the stands and on the field that I grew up as a fan coming to. It’s all glory to God.

“After that first field goal, there was so much excitement in my heart. I almost had tears of joy running out on the field for the first time. It was a surreal moment and a full circle taking it all in. I’m so blessed to have this opportunity.”

McGough appeared to have everything figured out in the season opener. He talked about how it felt to be successful kick after kick.

“The first one, hitting it out of the back, was really exciting,” McGough said. “My goal was to hit one through the goal post and I think I did something like that, but those kickoffs to start the first quarter had me amped up. I think it was a bunch of adrenaline coming to me.”

McGough showed his potential in his outstanding performance against Alabama A&M. The future of Auburn’s kicking game is bright.